Wolfpack encounters uneasiness after consecutive losses

Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 12:08 AM.

RALEIGH — Sounding as if they’re ready to hunker down, members of the North Carolina State football team are part of the wobbling Wolfpack.

“We really have to ignore the outside influences right now,” running back Tony Creecy said, “because coming off a loss like that people will have a lot to say. We just have to stick together.”

N.C. State (5-4 overall, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) can pretty much forget about the ACC championship game at this point. Now, it’s a matter of making something of the season in another way, with becoming bowl eligible still on the agenda.

“We need to win one first,” safety Brandan Bishop said. “We need to get back on track.”

That process begins with Saturday’s game against visiting Wake Forest (5-4, 3-4), which has won two of its last three games has is aiming for bowl eligibility as well as it plays its final conference game.

Saturday’s 33-6 demise against Virginia was the second-most lopsided ACC home loss for N.C. State in coach Tom O’Brien’s six seasons.

“There are too many positives for these kids to think that we can’t go and win some football games,” O’Brien said, assessing the program as a whole.

RALEIGH — Sounding as if they’re ready to hunker down, members of the North Carolina State football team are part of the wobbling Wolfpack.

“We really have to ignore the outside influences right now,” running back Tony Creecy said, “because coming off a loss like that people will have a lot to say. We just have to stick together.”

N.C. State (5-4 overall, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) can pretty much forget about the ACC championship game at this point. Now, it’s a matter of making something of the season in another way, with becoming bowl eligible still on the agenda.

“We need to win one first,” safety Brandan Bishop said. “We need to get back on track.”

That process begins with Saturday’s game against visiting Wake Forest (5-4, 3-4), which has won two of its last three games has is aiming for bowl eligibility as well as it plays its final conference game.

Saturday’s 33-6 demise against Virginia was the second-most lopsided ACC home loss for N.C. State in coach Tom O’Brien’s six seasons.

“There are too many positives for these kids to think that we can’t go and win some football games,” O’Brien said, assessing the program as a whole.

A sudden turn of fortunes stunned N.C. State, which left following an upset of then-unbeaten Florida State a month ago tonight with visions of grandeur. Since then, the only victory has come courtesy of a missed Maryland field goal that plunked an upright of the goal post to end the game.

“We’ve beaten FSU (so) we know what we’re capable of,” Bishop said. “We know how it feels to be on both sides of that. We’re going to work our hardest to right the ship. We’re going to have a good week of practice and get back on track.”

O’Brien said this is a challenging time for the Wolfpack. He said he’ll encourage the team to move on.

“We have a lot more football to play,” Creecy said. “We have a lot to look forward to if we get one more win. It’s still a positive outlook on things.

“We’re not fragile at all because we’re going to go the good way. We’re going to do all the little things to make sure we’re successful these next three games.”